Új Magyar Út, 1954 (5. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1954-01-01 / 1-2. szám
LÁSZLÓ DÓSA, a student of American and Hungarian history, devotes his paper, “Captain John Smith in Hungary (1601-1602) — A Meeting of American and Hungarian History in the Age of Colonization”, to the legendary life of the cofounder of the first permanent English settlement in the New World, at Jamestown, in 1607. Before coming to America, Captain Smith spent two years in Hungary and Transylvania. By that time Hungary had been ravaged by the Turks for nearly a century. Western Europe, endangered by the Turkish threat, finally decided to liquidate this pagan power in the very heart of the continent. Several armies were organized to fight the Turks. Adventure seeking John Smith joined one of them, led by the French Duke Mercoeur, and participated in many combats. The victory in at least two important battles, at Felsőlendva and Székesfehérvár, was greatly facilitated by the use of new pyrotechnical devices, introduced by him. In 1602, Smith, already a Captain of 250 soldiers, was sent to Transylvania to reinforce the troops of the Austrian imperial General Basta. Basta’s primary mission was to kill the Protestant Hungarians. Insteadof joining him, Captain Smith and his immediate commander, Colonel Volda, offered their aid to Prince Báthory, Duke of the tiny Transylvania which was the first country in the world to secure religious freedom for every denomination. It happened in Transylvania that Smith killed three Turks in individual combat. For this heroic act Prince Báthory granted him nobility which was later endorsed by the royal English court. In his later years in America, Captain Smith saved the settlers of Jamestown from starvation, and once his life was allegedly saved by the beautiful Indian Princess Pocahontas. Shortly after becoming President of the Virginia colony he returned to England. On a second trip to America, Smith, then Admiral of New England, prepared the first map of New England. Eventually the Pilgrim settlement was carried out on the information furnished by this map. ★ ★ ★ GÉZA CSERENYEY of London presents some very interesting “Thoughts on a Federation”. He analyzes the necessity of a United Europe, as the only way to maintain peace and prosperity on the continent. Western Europe has already taken several steps toward this goal (e. g., Benelux, Schuman Plan, Payment Union, EDC, etc.), but it will not be completely reached until the presently Soviet dominated countries are not included. As to the form of cooperation between the different national states, Mr. Cserenyey suggests either one of two well proven formations: a Commonwealth of Nations, like the British Commonwealth, or something similar to the United States of America. In either case the participating countries would keep for themselves the interior administration but would have to surrender the running of foreign and military affairs to a common authority. The members of this federation would have a customs union, and their individual citizens would be entitled to free movement and settlement anywhere within the common boundaries. ÚJ MAGYAR ÚT — 80 —
